Gear-shift lever



"13 fixed on a shift rod 14 and the sliding v gear 9 is translated by a similar yoke arm 15 fixed on a shift rod 16.

The IOClSlland 16 are horizontally alined parallel to each other and are mounted to slide longitudinally in bearings in the housing 17 with opposed notches 18 and 19, respectively, (see Figure 4).

As thus far of standard construction, and in the'usual form of such devices the ordinary'one piece type of gear-shift lever engages the notches v the shiftingthrough theneutral position is;

18 and 19 alternately and functions to alternately shift the rods 14, 1 6 longitudi-, nally, to, shift the, gears for the various v ehanges; the leverfhaving the jconventional H-shapeldgmovement excepting when shifting. directly-between low and reverse and between intermediate andhigh. V I r 1 It is evident that withthe usual structure p notaccomplished with a speed which is desirable and consequently it frequently happens thatthe ,gears clash, nd the shift cannot be made without stopping the vehicle.

In the present invention the shift through neutral 1s accomplished by. automatically:

Asillustrated the gear-shift lever is of the f ball-and-socket type and comprises a lever 555V functioning means which shifts transversely through neutral position independently of a companion transverse shift of the manuallyoperated shift-lever;

20 having a ball end 21which is positioned in the upper end of a'socket extension 22 of the housing 17 the ball end 21 resting upon aseat23 and retained thereon by a, retain ing ring 24 screw-threaded into the'bore of" .theextension'. 22. --;A key-bolt 23 carried by said extensionengages aslot 25.

v 1 Depending from the lower surface the l bell end 21 and rigid therewith is an arm 26 engages to limit the transverseswing of -the shift lever.20

' upper end forming opposed ears 82which having a bifurcated lower end providing opposed limbs 27', 28, and formed on the walls of the extension 22are opposed abutment ribs 29, 30 with which the arm 26 alternately An operating member 31 has a bifurcated 'arefhorizontally pivoted on the arm 26 by I bolts 33, the membercf il depending between Figure2) c the vlimbs 27 28 ofthe arm 26 and terminat v ing, witlica .nose 3 1 positioned to engage in i the notches 18, 19 of the shift'rods. Springs 35, 36 are interposed between the member 31 and thefrespective limbs 27, 28 of the arm '26 and normally maintain said member cenmtrally disposed between said limbs when the shift .rodslifldare in neutral position (see In operation, the lever 20 being neutral position, the device may be manipulated in the usual manner if desired, as, for instance,

of the gear-set and are provided;

1 engage described, the mechanism is" matic operation tolindependently swing 7 made by drawing the lever '20 directly re to low, the lever 20 'isifirst shifted trans-f .verselypto the leftan'd then"forwardlypast 10W to high, fromrev'erse tointermediate fr] 'ually loperated le er; '20 I will be given,

the lever20 may be shifted" to the left while. i

in neutral to engage the nose 34; into the notch 19-01 the low and reverse shift rod 19; e and then drawn rearwardly to shift into low (or forwardly to shiftinto reverse) Then the lever2O may be moved forward to neutral', shifted to theright'through neutral The lever 20finay' vnext be v drawn r'ea1 "ward:'- to shift into high. i 1 I 'Utilizing thev advantages of the present structnrein its preferred method of mania limb 28 compressing the. spring g'ofto build' 7 up its stored energy for subsequentantd the. member '81. I At thislitiinethe lever 20 'll be in, the high speed position while the me ber 3li'is in low speed .position engaging rod 16.with the tension of-the sp ing 36 ing said member 3-1Yto-wards1therod 14. The

lever 20is next movedfdirectly,forward'jto n intermediate position during this if 47 ward movement. the'inember '31 upon; rea ing neutral position 'will' automatically; forced from the notch-'19of the rod 16 and" into the notch 18, of therodli bythe of the springv3.6-, andwillfthen translatejthe rod 14; to shift, the'gearsinto intermediatei f A shift from intermediate tov highjisthen wardly in the ordinary manner. z i If it is desired to shift directly froin high n neutral "to allow V the member 31' toqau matically shiftthroughneutral andlthe rectly rearwardlyfinto low. A shift; fr 'mMJT from intermediate to reverse-ismade sim lar manner.

, To afford several operatio nsla description thereof sit relates only to the rnovement-sof the sidered from thevi'ewpointofithedriver ne the seat offthe car. y

Considering the car at rest and the lever in fneutral; the lever: may be s d r 125; to 'any desire dposition in the usual mannr Considering that h lev r hasiben shifi d' i to low and, the car niovin and it attadesired-to shift to finterme iate withthe clutch still engaged, the lever is 'sliiit eg ag to -2. i the'nose 34: into the notch 18 of the" intermediate and-high shift rod 14:, and then: i or moved .fo-rward'to shift into, intermediate, 

